embrace the pretty

Lots of love for Lotta

2011-02-14T15:55:00.000+11:00

I've spotted an incredible stylist who has my heart completely today! Lotta Agaton is freelance stylist in Sweden who has styled images for some of my fave places like H&M Home and Elle Interiör where it doesn't matter if you can't read Swedish, you can just enjoy the visuals!
Lotta has a portfolio of stunning images which you can view for yourself here but I have gathered some of my faves together.

I am so in love with this room. Often a black and white room can appear stark and cold, but the 'lived in' look of the sofa cushions as well as the hints of green leaves make this feel like a very liveable room. Don't even get me started on the wall too. I want everything there!

These images almost could form an inspiration board for me. I am totally in love with the simple black and white palletes used in most of these images, and the typography - swoon! I also love the dusty pink of the chair in the bottom right image. It's a little bit retro and not a too 'girly' pink that it makes it look too feminine. I've no idea where the incredible typographic prints come from, but they are a constant feature of Lotta's work.

More typography and prop wonderfulness! Again I love the shot of greenery which brings these scenes to life and gives them a scent. I also have total envy for all the beautiful, quirky and fun accessories in these shots. I think that is one of the strongest draws for me to Lotta's work, there is always something fun, whether it's a great quote in a print or a wooden hand flipping the middle finger!

Anyway, I hope you like this tiny glimpse into this talented ladies work. Please check out the online portfolio as it is jam packed with amazing images, you can also read Lotta's blog here where you will see her inspiration sources. Finally you can become a fan on facebook (search Lotta Agaton Interior Stylist) and check out some behind the scenes of some of her photoshoots. It actually has made me miss my previous life as an assistant stylist!

hello 2011

2011-01-25T17:26:00.000+11:00

Hello 2011 and hello my long neglected blog. I can't believe it's over 1 month since my last post. It's taken me a while to get over the mad dash to Christmas and New Year and to be honest I haven't posted here through complete lack of inspiration. Luckily today I got as little kick in the butt and I'm off and running and excited to get creative this year. The kick start came from the wonderful Color Me Pretty column on Decor8. This month the talented Leslie put together a yellow inspired post, where she mixed yellow with craft paper and soft greys. I spotted an image of a hot air balloon printed over a map and thought it was so lovely I've gone out hunting for something similar.

This digital collage, Life's Journey1 by Crimson Circle Studios is close to the image I spotted on Decor8. This talented Australian creates other beautiful collage images from vintage books. Check out the etsy store here.

Here's another nice graphic collage this time by Nesta Home. The above image is part of a series created for different American cities called Dark Cities. The technique combines modern photos printed over vintage atlas pages - these page are from a 1929 Atlas Book.

As well as these prints, the Nesta Home etsy store is chock full of graphic design inspired goodies. I really like the Urban Throw Pillows and this (above) Numbers hand printed pillow.

Keeping on the graphic design theme, how fantastic is this Building Footprint Print by VisuaLingual. I like the way of celebrating a location in a non-literal way. This image combines the overview of the neighbourhood as well as coordinates of the an old German neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati.

I think one of the reasons 'map art' has inspired me so much is the sense of travel and adventure that a map can capture. This above print, Anywhere from the The Wheatfield embraces this beautifully.

Immediately I have started to think about nice ways to commemorate holidays using maps and graphic elements. Here is another beautiful artwork - Open Space by LauraTwoTina - a collaboration of two artists, Laura Gaffke & Tina Hirsig. The story of this piece starts with an Italian holiday and ends here with this lovely piece. For me the ideas are already flowing about how I can use maps to create some artwork. I'll keep you posted.

Christmas Inspiration - H&M Home 2010

2010-12-13T17:11:00.000+11:00

H&M Home once again have put together beautiful inspirational Christmas looks for 2010. Though we can't buy the lovely products (unless you are in a select few European countries), we can get inspiration and ideas to follow. So here is Christmas 2010 according to H&M.

This Christmas trend is wonderful and feminine and let's you use homewares and textiles you already have and can use again at other times of the year. I really like the lace accents, especially the hanging piece over the table. I also think the silver and white combination works in both a wintry Northern hemisphere as well as the hot, summer Christmas we enjoy down here in the Southern hemisphere.

In this more traditional Christmas look, it is the use of natural linen and canvas which gives a modern, relaxed look. I love the use of traditional typefaces and icons to give a vintage feel.

Finally, for a modern Christmas look go for this purple, black and bling look. The purple can be substituted for any colour you like, just make it bright so it jumps out from the glamorous black and blingy setting.

To check out the H&M Home Christmas Trends visit the website here

What's your favourite look? I think mine is the red and linen combination because of it's relaxed yet traditional feel.

Christmas spirit

2010-12-09T17:25:00.000+11:00

After finally putting up my Christmas Tree last night I have had to face the fact that not only is Christmas coming, but it is very close by! Today I have found some beautiful Christmas Wreaths which I would love to adorn my front door with. Unfortunately not many of them look 'transportable', however they may inspire some DIY projects.

These first few are from the Lunatique Boutique etsy store. I love the subtle Christmas colour palette of reds and golds as well as the use of fabric, feathers and paper. I find these are not too 'tizzy' and have a nice natural look. My favourite is the top one where the twigs spray out from the circle. See these and more in the etsy store here. Pictured above the Elegant Woodland Holiday Wreaths.
Click for links > Top, bottom left, bottom right.

This wreath is from Goodie True Shoes (another very cool store name!) The Evening Gatherer wreath has lovely earthy tones that match the yarn, felt and wooden material used. This wreath also has moss and seeds, but these are not able to be shipped internationally. I could see an Australian version of this wreath with native seeds, gumnut pods and leaves.

This pretty wreath is certainly something that could been used as inspiration for crafty people. This lovely jute wreath is by Catnap Cottage. The 'beach chic' look of jute makes this a great wreath for us Southern Hemisphere dwellers who have a summer Christmas. I love this fabric, the red and white reminds me of a candy cane, but it is such a modern interpretation of the Christmas look. The trick here is to find beautiful, quality fabric or ribbon.

This last wreath is a masterpiece from The Linnets Wing. Again I like the wild, unstructured style. I also like the natural colours given a bit of holiday silver bling. The real appeal of this is that the natural elements are sourced from Erika's Pennsilvania home. This wreath is "hand-collected, hand-dried, and hand-made from start-to-finish." Learn more about Erika's wreath and other creative projects on display in her etsy store.

create in serenity

2010-11-24T13:44:00.000+11:00

I've enjoyed a little whirlwind of inspiration this morning, starting with a post about hand carved stamps by Ez on Creature Comforts. I **really** want to try this and followed a link through to a tutorial here. While I am still excited about stamp making, it quickly went to the back of my mind when I spotted this photo...

I was taken at the thought of being able to look down at such a beautifully set up table for painting, plus the little work-in-progress birdies are lovely! Then I clicked on the next photo and saw what it must be like to sit at this table and gaze out for inspiration.

This table setting is from very talented Mexican based artist Geninne and she has shared them on her flickr account here. Sitting at this table in an open landscape is such an appealing thought to me. To be able to do it from the comfort of home is an added joy I'm sure. A place to create is something I have wanted to create, but never seem to find the time to make an artistic space, let alone use it! The fruits of Geninne's wonderful surrounds are evident in her beautiful work.

One of her favourite subjects is birds and this print above Bird No. 30 and many more like it are available in Geninne's etsy store. She also sells pillow covers featuring her prints here.

My favourite is this Birdcall print. It showcases both Geninne's fine art and graphic design background.
If birds aren't your thing, you can check out some other subject matter in the etsy store.

I'm quite partial to this Pile o Wood print. If you visit the etsy page, you will see the inspiration image and really get a feel for how Geninne translates images into her own artistic style.
For more from this lovely artist check the blog, flickr, etsy store or big cartel store.

looking forward

2010-11-19T14:31:00.000+11:00

It has now been way too long between posts but I am overjoyed that I find myself with a few minutes to finally put together a post. I have a backlog of pretty discoveries I want to embrace, starting right now with beautiful illustrator Emma Kisstina. I have previously written about her sweet and indulgently girly prints here. Thanks to the great new(ish) "you might like" feature on etsy, I found Kristina's Illustrated 2011 calender.

Each month has been hand drawn and digitally coloured. The calender comes as loose A4 pages you can choose to display anyway you like. A clever idea is this one above where each month is framed and the glass is used to circle important dates or write reminders

Here is a taste of a few of the months. To preview the full calender pop over to Kristina's flickr page here.

You can purchase the calender on etsy here.

Enjoy!

a fresh wardrobe - ruche

2010-11-02T18:31:00.000+11:00

I have found myself wanting to freshen up my wardrobe as we move into spring. I think it has to do with that tricky transition time going from a winter wardrobe to a spring wardrobe, when you need to dress for a range of temperatures. I don't know about you but I always feel a little strange baring my arms and legs for the first time after winter. Anyway I have found a 'look' that I love courtesy of a beautiful US based online clothing shop - Ruche.

Described as "a modern boutique with a vintage touch", this shop is a beautiful place to find fashion inspiration through a combination of beautiful clothing and stunning Look Books. The quality of the photography and design alone is worth a look. I love the mix of texture and colour in these outfits and they are all so 'wearable'!

It's not just the beautiful clothing, but the entire outfits head to toe - the shoes and the accessories. I would love to get all the looks in their entirety!

I also appreciate that the Look Books are all left on the site, despite it now being Autumn in the northern hemisphere, us southerners can find inspiration from past seasons. All the above images are from the Spring 10 or Summer 10 look books.

Here's a look that I can wear this week. A delicate ruffle print top wrapped in a cardi in a pretty spring colour. I feel a shopping trip coming on and I will certainly be using the beautiful Ruche as my own personal style 'look book' this spring! Visit the Ruche online shop & blog for some inspiration no matter what hemisphere you are in!

pretty eggs - mizu designs

2010-11-01T17:17:00.000+11:00

Have you checked out Holly from Decor8's 2011 calender round-up yet? It is absolute eye-candy - almost to the point of being overwhelming! I took a quick minute out today and just so happened to pick-out an Australian artist to look into further. Kylie Budge's Mizu Designs has a beautiful range of prints with a few different techniques such as woodblock, lino and Giclee. There is a strong Japanese influence in her technique and subject matter, with tea being a recurring theme. You can also see the influence of native Australia in Kylie's designs and colour palettes. It is a stunning series of egg Giclee prints which has had me gasping today.

I just love the texture, tone and colour in these prints and they are straight into my etsy favourite list! You can purchase these lovely prints from the Mizu etsy store here. They make me want to reach for my watercolours!

Also have a look at the calendar which was featured on Decor8 here.

Other places to find more about Mizu Designs - website, blog and flickr

lace lovely - etsy faves

2010-10-29T17:25:00.000+11:00

A fine way to finish a busy week is to share some of my latest etsy faves. It's funny how I don't notice a theme to my 'hearts' on etsy, until I step back and see them all together. Lately I've been loving lace and all things textural.

First up is this beautiful lace wrapped locket from Blue Bird Lucy's. So pretty and feminine! I really appreciate the product photography too! It makes such a difference don't you think?

Another lacy jewellery piece that has caught my eye is this White Lace Textured Pendant from efiwarsh. This time rather than wrapped in lace, the texture is imprinted into the clay. I love the gold that has been added into the imprint!

My 3rd lacy find is from a shop that frankly I could go nuts in! This is a lace rubber stamp from karuku.

Top of my wishlist would be this beautiful set of stamps presented in a wooden box. I would go stamp crazy!

Finally, a small deviation from lace, but on the fabric, textured theme are these fabulous knitted porcelain vases from Alyssa Ettinger's beautiful range of knitwear pottery. She normally has a few more pieces, so bookmark and check back in later if this style takes your fancy too.

I hope you enjoyed my end of week blogging cram!

Hopefully I can have a fuller week next week and embrace more pretty things.

i wish .... for this beautiful ring

2010-10-21T12:54:00.000+11:00

This beautiful sterling silver and pearl ring from the etsy shop of Galit Barak has me swooning today. I love it's asymmetrical shape and off centre pearl.

It looks so wonderful on a finger too! See more of Galit's jewellery here. There are some lovely cuffs and neck-pieces also.

ink inspiration - Iain Macarthur

2010-10-19T17:01:00.000+11:00

I love doodling with black ink and anyone who has seen any of my notebooks knows that they are covered in swirls and curls. My favourite 'tool' is a sharp, crisp black fineliner. I get a real thrill when my pen hits the paper and I create a perfect curve or pattern. Today I have been entranced by the portfolio of English artist Iain Macarthur.

This beauty is from his Enchanting Series which I found on Behance. I love the change in tone used for such dramatic effect - from the soft pencil strokes of the ladies face, to the rich, solid black ink used in the clothing.

Another in the same series, this image has such incredible intricate detail in the mask and jewellery that you need to pop over to the Behance page here and see it nice and big!

This lovely lady is from another series called portraits part 2. I ADORE the detail in this bonnet. I can get lost in all the swirls and feathery patterns. All I can think of is how much fun this would have been to illustrate!
A wonderful talent indeed, you can find more of Iain's work in online portfolios here or here, as well as keep track of him through his blog.

inspiration to heal

2010-10-18T17:02:00.000+11:00

I have had a sad week with the passing of my beloved grandmother, Mama Cherie. She was a beautiful, caring and creative lady who is sadly missed. In the last week our family has been reflecting on her life, her influence and I guess legacy we have all inherited. She was a very talented illustrator and we always received hand drawn birthday and Christmas cards, which we all tried to copy. I truly believe it is from her and also my mum (her daughter) that I have such a passion for creativity and especially illustration. It was with this knowledge I set about being creative. I had registered for this years Photo 5 competition run by Canon in Australia. Here is my post from last year. The idea is that you receive a box with 5 briefs to create an image from. There are props and a tutorial from the judge of each brief. I love macro photography and so the eye dropper brief was my choice.

This brief is asking you to use your lens to look closer. Use the eye dropper to place drops of liquid in any arrangement you want. You can use a single drop, or as many drops as you like.
And you’re not limited to just water - feel free to use liquids of different colours and consistencies, such as milk or tomato soup. Just make sure you get close.

My grandma was a fan of lavender and always had at least one lavender bush growing. We have a lovely bush in our front garden which has just begun it's springtime bloom. I snipped a few flowers a got creating! I thought of the idea of the beautiful colours in nature and how we try and recreate them in art. I decided to depict a "Leaking Lavender" which is giving up it's beautiful colour ready to paint with. Here are some of my shots and then the one I entered into the competition...

I had a lot of fun mixing the right shade of 'lavender' purple and then delicately placing the drops onto the flowers. I also loved playing with my lovely SLR camera! I have also found that the natural light in our dining room makes for a great photography 'set'. I could control the light levels with the blinds and curtains too!

It was tricky picking the final photo, but I settled on this one as I loved the the 2 drops - the one still on the flower is being gently hugged by the petal! I also liked the stem curling off in the background. The entries for this brief closed last night and you can view entries gallery over here at World of EOS.

a little peace and quiet

2010-10-08T14:33:00.000+11:00

I'm in search of peace and wellbeing at the moment so I was thrilled when I found myself staring and exhaling at the beautiful images of Samantha Lane.

{all images from Samantha Lane on Flickr}

Do you see what I mean? Don't you just want to dive into these moments of sunny afternoon loveliness! The lovely Samantha hails from Hobart, Oklahoma and manages to capture little snippets of her life in her beautiful images. These were exactly what I wanted to see and dream of yesterday evening when I came across her Flickr photostream. Her farm is called Early Bird Acres and you can read all about her adventures and also her latest creative projects on her blog of the same name.
Samantha has also published some books of her photos and sells postcards and other lovely prints in her shop.
Here is some more loveliness from Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb - even her name is super sweet!

Don't you want to pack your bags and head for Early Bird Acres to have a picnic with Sam? If we can't make the long journey, we can always live through the pages of her book 'The Perpetual Picnic".
Life looks pretty good!

colour crush - orange and blue

2010-10-05T17:55:00.000+11:00

It all started here last week when I spotted this lovely image from Creature Comforts flickr stream....

{sweet clementine by Creature Comforts}

I love this colour combination of blue and orange. It has such a summery feel to it. For that's through an association to Spain and Morocco and the colour in beautiful traditional wall and floor tiles. It doesn't seem to matter which shade of blues you combine with a shot of citrus, it always come off fresh and exciting.

{'Orange walls, blue windows, graffiti' by Jeremy Hughes}

{La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Crumblin Down}

From South Africa (top) to Argentina this colour combination of orange and blue is captured wonderfully in these buildings. It also works well on the inside of houses as these next few images show.

{both images via flickr here and here}

These are certainly what you would call brave uses of colour - but I think they look amazing! Would I be brave enough to do this - probably not - but I'm thankful there are people out there not afraid to throw colour around for me to swoon over! I like the fact that the furniture and decor style is quite traditional in shape but totally stamped as modern by the fresh colour palette!

positive kismet

2010-09-28T17:08:00.001+10:00

Talk about kismet! I've been having a completely horrid few days at work and just went for some time out to The Design Files in search of eye candy - and there was a whole post on Positive Posters.

{image via The Design files}

Positive Posters is an international poster competition in its second year. Established in Victoria, Australia by graphic designer Nick Hallam the competition "gives graphic designers an outlet to create freely, and to use their skills to inspire, challenge and make a positive difference in a non-commercial way". Ahhhhh how nice! This could not be more appropriate for me as all my creative juices are being stifled by corporate bureaucracy at the moment. The brief for this years competition is based around this quote by Benjamin Franklin:

I haven’t failed; I’ve had 10,000 ideas that didn’t work

You can check out the gallery of finalists here. Somehow Lucy at Design files managed to capture my top 4 from this list - all of which I want to plaster my workspace with :-)

Jump over to Positive Posters and find your favourites from this years competition as well as loads of positive messaging packaged in great design! Also, drop by The Design Files and see if you can't find your own inspiration!

pretty places - the happy home

2010-09-27T14:32:00.000+10:00

The Happy Home blog is one that has been in my 'daily reads' list for a while and today I want to share a tale of curtain rods. Belinda Graham is the web editor for Real Living magazine (a favourite of mine for very practical but stylish ideas) and she also authors this lovely blog sharing some fabulous decorating ideas as she renovates her home.

I was reading through the pages of her blog and came across her "Let there be (temporary) light" blog post. It is Belinda's tale of tracking (or hunting) down curtains (and lights) for her living room. I found myself laughing out loud and nodding along as she recounts her treks to Ikea and the "choose-your-own-curtain-rod buffet" at Spotlight as I too have recently walked the same path. While perfectly OK, the living room curtains that came with our house are hung off the ugliest curtain rod and rings I have ever seen (they are also in our bedroom). All the other windows in our house came with timber blinds when we bought, taking away the dilemma of window decorations when we moved in and we have just put up with the rods for now. We have two sets of tall sliding doors that lead out to our courtyard and the curtains (completely OK dark chocolate bouclé fabric) fit the decor well and more importantly keep the cold out in winter and the heat in summer. So far I have found some pretty decent ready made curtains, but alas we have lovely high ceilings which = non-standard curtain drop lengths. In turn this means custom made curtains = $$$$ and so new curtains go back to the home decor wish list.

There is hope though - and this is where Belinda and her blog come in. There was more head nodding as Belinda recounted her desire for white curtain rods on her white walls. She has ended up with black rods (read why in her post and see the lovely picture above) and I think that she has saved me from a decor obsession. You see I was having trouble finding white curtain rods I liked with the right level of "whiteness". I agree with Belinda that darker curtains on a white rod could end up looking like they were floating mid air. So with that blog-land has given me inspiration - perhaps I can keep the curtain we have but just find a replacement rod - and it doesn't have to be white - hooray!

Please pop over to The Happy Home blog and see if she can inspire you too.

pretty post

2010-09-24T10:35:00.002+10:00

To Brighten Your Day, originally uploaded by Trisha Brink Design.

In the midst of a crazy Friday, this image from Trisha Brink Design has made me smile. Isn't this the type of mail we would all prefer to receive!

a pretty way to read

2010-09-23T14:27:00.000+10:00

I have a new favourite gadget - an e-reader. As an avid reader, my book collection was becoming a challenge as I was rapidly running out of ways to store them. I don't like to throw away books I have enjoyed as I know I would like to re-read them one day. Worse still I seem to like reading books from a series or collect books from a favourite author (or 2). I have donated a lot of books but that wasn't solving my problem. There was also a financial issue as well - books aren't cheap! Anyway enter my lovely e-reader with e ink (it's not an ipad) and I have devoured many novels with no space issues. It was fantastic when I was overseas as I effectively took 50 books with me without excess baggage issues (I read the entire Stieg Larsson Millennium trilogy while on holidays). Today I found an etsy store full of lovely, pretty ways of carrying around my gadget and others like it.

Top: Starflower Suntiles Pink Wallflower eReader Cover

Bottom Left: Green Apple Dot eReader Cover

Bottom Right: Blue Wallflower eReader Cover

The Elizabeth David Design store has lots of beautiful fabrics used to pretty up practical things like organizers, phones and e-books and ipads. Using great fabric patterns from the likes of Amy butler - in fact check out all the fabrics available in the Flickr gallery here. My e-reader currently sits in a boring black leather case which I would happily trade in for one of these lovely covers instead! I love how much effort is taken to create a beautiful combination of fabrics inside and outside. Now I just need to pick a fabric - what a fun chore! Join me, even just to see the wonderful work and fabrics used in the etsy store.

Sweet Paul - does it again

2010-09-20T11:14:00.000+10:00

I've shared my love for the super talented stylist Paul Lowe aka Sweet Paul before. He showcases his talents through his popular blog and just now has celebrated the release of the 2nd edition of his online magazine. The Fall 2010 issue is packed with beautifully styled images, crafty ideas and drool worthy recipes! I'm just happy that it's still a little cool here so I can appreciate all the hearty, warm food he has in this issue!
Here's a bit of eye-candy to get your week started - but do pop over and browse all 109 pages of the Sweet Paul Fall 2010 emag. It's well worth it!

This table setting on page 102 is lovely and simple with beautiful textures and colours, but how can you look past that incredible lamp by Sarah Foote!

How about this super stylin pumpkin from page 14! Be sure to check out the full design collection!

Paul really gets his food prep and styling muscles flexing in a great 6 page mushroom recipe feature. These images are amazing and they look super tasty too!

And to finish off with desert I dare you not to drool over this Salted Caramel and Chocolate cake!

{all images from Sweet Paul Fall 2010}

i wish - wall vase by otchipotchi

2010-09-17T15:22:00.000+10:00

Today I'm drooling over these lovely unglazed porcelain wall vases from otchipotchi.

I love the idea of collecting a single flower or stem and placing them in these little delicate pods. They have a lovely handmade quality and I would happily have a few of these on my walls. I think even empty you could cluster these together to make an interesting feature!
The otchipotchi shop is full of little gems, like these doily stones (yes more pebbles!)

These lovely pieces are the work of Portuguese artisan Paula Valentim, you can view and buy her work from her online store here and also learn more on her blog.

wedding inspiration - vases, bottles and more

2010-09-15T14:08:00.000+10:00

Today I thought I would share with you some little bits of inspiration I've been collecting for a friends wedding. I am thrilled to be styling the event (so much fun!) and have been busy working with the bride to pull together the look we're going with. One idea we are following through on is using an eclectic mix of vases and bottles in the decor, both on the tables as well as around the venue. The overall look we want to achieve is a classic romantic look with a nice looseness to it that suits the couples personality as well as the venue. Here are some pictures that make up my moodboard for the day.

These beautiful images were captured by Marianne Taylor of London couple Emily & Owen's wedding. The bride had collected the vases and bottles from op-shops and markets. I will be using similar pieces, but sourced from within the brides and grooms family. There are some beautiful crystal glasses and vases of all different shapes for me to play with. I really like that there will be that personal touch in the decor of the venue!

This dreamy purple theme is from another wedding photographed by Marianne Taylor, this time in the English countryside. The reception was held in a farm house and featured garden flowers like lavender and hydrangeas displayed in sweet little glass vases, silver teapots and dainty cups and saucers. This is the relaxed yet romantic feel I'll be trying to capture on the wedding day.
Here are a few more images along the same theme (sources under each image)

{Stylish country wedding on Wedding Chicks}

{a rustic outdoor wedding from Once Wed}

{even a watering can gets a look in for this backyard wedding on Style Me Pretty}

{coke bottles can be pretty too - Style Me Pretty}

{i love the science theme with these beakers and old filing cabinet - what a great prop! - Style Me Pretty}

{time for one more beaker shot - again on Style Me Pretty}

a new pretty place - eat drink chic

2010-09-14T15:18:00.000+10:00

I love discovering new places to visit and find pretty inspiration and lately I've added a new blog to my 'daily reads'. Eat drink chic is authored by Amy Moss in Melbourne, Australia. She had my heart when in her bio she writes " i like pretty things. obsessively so". I'm sure you're all nodding along with me at that statement. It turns out we have more in common, as we both have toiled away for a decade or so as graphic designers, only to realise that the job is nowhere near as creative as we would have hoped! Once again I'm right there with her! To satisfy her creative needs, Amy has travelled down the path of styling and creating pretty graphic design giveaways through her blog. Amy has such a pretty style using floral prints and pretty colours. She also has a great eye and her blog is full of inspiration on fashion, homewares and design.

This is one of her printable download freebies (get it yourself here). I love the colours in these Summer Vintage Floral Gift Tags and I can see that a career in styling is working for her as all her photos are beautiful!

I just love the buttons used in these ThankYou Cards! What a lovely ladylike touch!
These, as well as the Love tags below are both articles Amy has contributed to wedding style website Once Wed.

I really get a kick (and a bucket load of inspiration) from bloggers like Amy. I love seeing someone achieve something through their creativity. I actually stumbled across her blog through an amazing image I had spotted a few times while I've been on the lookout for wedding styling inspiration.

I love this image of suspended glass bottles with colourful blooms. It turns out that this was from Amy's own (surprise) wedding. Amy and husband Mark suprised guests with a picnic style civil ceremony at what was supposed to be their engagement party. Amy styled the event herself as created some beautiful areas. Make sure you pop over here and read the story and see more pictures from this beautiful wedding and enjoy my newest favourite blog - eat drink chic

a dash of colour - colourful furniture

2010-09-10T14:42:00.000+10:00

As mentioned earlier this week, the arrival of spring here in the southern hemisphere has got me all inspired to throw around some colour! Here are a few inspiring ways to add some colour around your home....

This charming writing desk is from the wonderful and witty Jo from blog Mo and Me. If you need a nice time out, head over to her blog and read all about how Jo and Mo 'collaborate' in crafty, creative ways. You can read about Rudi the writing desk here.

Mrs Schmitts Daughter

More witty fabulous and colourful inspiration from Mo + Me. This bright cabinet was christened Mrs Schmitt when Jo found a piece of paper with a quote for a day out at the zoo bus trip with coffee and cake. It was addressed to a Mrs Schmitt and so the cabinet was named. Read about Mrs Schmitt over here and see how she fits into a bright and colourful room.

Another talented blogger is Louise of Pour toujours blog. This is her 'Magical' yellow bedside table. Louise has done some wonderful "upcycling" in bright and vibrant colours. See some of her other projects on her blog here.

This great injection of colour is certainly a way to add some personality and fun to a room, or hallway in this case! Check out the story behind Kathrin's bold but fantastic pink door here at her blog Where Your Heart Is. I also love the way the hallway is painted grey on the bottom half, and the art wall arrangement. You can see more of this lovely home in Germany here on Flickr. Another of my favourites is this incredible bright red bookcase....

So are you now inspired to inject some colour into your home now too? I like the idea of painting the back of a door a colour. I think it makes for nice surprise when you open the door!

a rescue project

2010-09-08T12:26:00.001+10:00

I think it's the change of seasons that is drawing me to colour. As flowers bloom and things generally are getting greener, I have found some great examples of people brightening their homes through bold use of colour and pattern. First up is some of the wonderful work by Clara from The Home in Paradise

This charming shelf unit is affectionately named Inglorious Bastid and was given one last chance by Clara. See how she transformed a cheap and dull piece of furniture into something new and fresh in this blog post. I love all the before and after shots and step by step details. We have a similar story for a set of shelves in our home. I had used the shelves for a while but when we upsized our home, they became redundant. They were actually at the front door waiting to be taken to the rubbish when a moment of inspiration struck and I imagined the daggy 'pine' laminate replaced with a gloss white finsh. After a quick trip to the hardware store for primer, paint and some new handles we had rescued our own "inglorious bastid" and it lives on as a gloss white shelf for my cookbooks and magazines. It's actually quite rewarding to tackle a little project like this. You feel a sense of pride in bringing new life to a piece of furniture!

Do you like the look of those magazine holders in the second shelf? Well the crafty Clara has created these from the flimsy cardboard magazine holders from Ikea, but also suggest using cereal boxes too. So clever! I like the idea of putting your own stamp on things, and simple (cheap) projects like these are so easy to take on. Get the 'how to' over here and please also check out Clara's blog . There are lots of great stories and projects that Clara has taken on in her home in the Caribbean. Who knew a keyboard and mouse could look so pretty!

newsworthy jewellery part 2.

2010-09-06T15:09:00.000+10:00

Following on from my post last week about zoemou jewellery, here is another local Australian jewellery brand I found from the same source - here. I'm a long time fan of resin jewellery and homewares so these stunning pieces from the girls of it was me are instant favourites!

These pieces from their current spring summer range have that great blend of femininity with soft pinks and delicate ribbons, rocked up with a dose of black lace and mesh. I love the combinations of shapes and colours in these stacks! I would love either the white lace or black lace square cuffs.

As well as the neutral palette, it was me has some luscious summer colours in their range. I love that the turquoise has been paired with the blues for an ocean colour theme and then used as an accent with the melon/peach bangles. I love these colours together for summer!

There are coordinating resin rings which have an organic, hand finished shape and again come in yummy, juicy colours! Head over to the website for a browse yourself. I'm sure you will picture yourself with an armful of these amazing bangles too!

i wish for.... a kristina klarin necklace

2010-09-03T16:21:00.001+10:00

I think this beautiful fabric and bead necklace would be perfect as a summer accessory. It's by the wonderfully talented Kristina Klarin from Kris's Color and Stripes blog.
See more big, bold and colourful pieces in the online shop here

newsworthy jewellery

2010-09-02T16:53:00.000+10:00

It's not often I find pretty inspiration from the news, but such was the case a few days ago while reading the news online. I cam across a gallery of vintage inspired jewellery and have some new local Australian jewellery brands to share with you.

These lovely pieces are from the Gypsy Moon Collection by Zoemou. I can certainly see the art nouveau influence in these pieces - especially the top earings! The Gypsy Moon collection is the first collection using sterling silver and there is a great back story to the collection.

"Each Zoemou “Gypsy Moon “ piece is named after Roma gypsy names, such as Danika (translating to ‘morning star’), or Electra (translating to ‘brilliant one’). Every item is totally unique and individually hand cut by talented artisans. Even though made of sterling silver, the Gypsy Moon collection adheres to the Zoemou philosophy of feeling lightweight and natural, whilst being feminine and strong."

Sourced from the Gypsy Moon Look Book

This style of jewellery is my favourite. I love intricate cut outs and large statement pieces. Here are some other piece I would own in a heartbeat from previous collections:

This very cool Numbered Barcode necklace was part of a collaboration with designer Daniel Avakian.

This Chrysanta piece from the Secret Garden collection is my absolute favourite. This was the 3rd Zoemou collection and the pieces are crafted from leather. The range was inspired by the book of the same name.

Young children discover a magical garden behind wild ivy and as the garden blossoms and flourishes, so does the lives of the children.

Source Secret Garden Look Book

Sun kissed..

2010-09-01T13:17:00.001+10:00

Sun kissed.., originally uploaded by .bella..

As a little make-up for no posts for the last 2 days, I wanted to share some pretty, so here is one of my Flickr faves by the lovely Bella Kotak.
I love the happiness in this image and the beautiful muted tones.

bedtime dreaming

2010-08-30T17:32:00.001+10:00

Have you discovered Serena and Lilly? I had not heard of this amazing store before, but somehow found myself recently getting lost in their catalogue online. It seems that they have star pulling power with with Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Garner as fans of their nursery ranges.

I think that dressing your bed is such a little, simple pleasure that can make such a big difference. Over the weekend I swapped around the throw cushions I have on our bed, from creams and blue to greens, and it is like I have a new bedroom! I love how simple it is to make a decor change with linen and cushions. Here are some totally dreamy images from the June 2010 Serena and Lilly catalogue.

Aren't these dreamy images? The prints in the bed linen is wonderful, as are the combinations. I really like the bold black and white softened by the green, as well as the soft pink used under the crisp blue and white above. Now how about these kids rooms.....

A room certainly fit for a little princess, how wonderful is this colour combination... and for the boys there is this great sea inspired room.

I love the vintage sails hung behind the bed and paper pirate hat touches! I would love to know who the talented stylist is behind these images!
Warning:: try and avoid being clucky when you see some of the nursery images...

Again another incredibly styled image - how wonderful are the paper cranes! This colour pallete is divine too.

Here's another childs room with a pop of colour - a great combination of blue and persimmon/orange.
There is so much inspiration in this catalogue, I've come back a few times just to browse! I even love the way they display the paint colours available.

I also really appreciate that there are lot's of decorating tips both on their website and in the catalogue. They show you how to out some of their looks together.
Check out the Serena and Lilly website (there's a local Australian version too). You can head straight for the catalogue here too if you need more amazing inspiration.

Friday Fun!

2010-08-27T15:34:00.000+10:00

It's Friday so let's find something fun... Even though the weekend is nearly here, I still needed a pick-me-up today. I'm happy to have stumbled across the very talented Ben Heine's Pencil vs Camera series on Flickr

Pencil vs Camera 29

I love this picture for both the scenery in the photo and the extra 'story-book' life fun the illustration adds. It also looks so simple, but is so masterfully composed. I love the way the road curls away off into the distance.

Pencil vs Camera 30

Another great shot enhanced with loads of fun!

Check out the full range of Ben's Camera vs Pencil work here on Flickr

So happy Friday - let's all try and have some creative fun this weekend!

collectables

2010-08-26T14:22:00.001+10:00

A little while ago I shared my family trait of collecting things and was inspired to create beautiful images of my mums great collections. Today I thought I would share more, creative people who turn hoarding into beautiful pieces of art. It is difficult as someone who loves objects, to maintain a balance between tasteful amounts of things and a house full to the brim with bits and pieces that need dusting.

The self proclaimed human magpie, Jenn from Quercus Designs has the most amazing eye for collecting objects and then preserving them in beautiful images, like the one above of sea glass.

Jenn has found an outlet as well and sells both the subjects and photographs of her collections through an etsy store. This one above, Beachcombing Series No8 is for sale currently as are bits of sea glass. I love the idea of spending a day out beachcombing and coming home with little goodies to turn into art.
Here are a few more creative collectors that are amongst my flickr faves.

I love this nautical themed image by bricolagelife. Another collector who collects and creates - check out the Flickr gallery here and etsy store here

These lovely objects were destined for an eco-friendly mobile by Yummy!INK but at the same time make a wonderful image.

Another sea collection, I really like the composition by Camilla Engman. I particularly like the little aqua cross in the top right. Check out more of her organised collections here on flickr.
Finally, a non-sea collection but super pretty and girly.

Described as a " lovely collection of girly, nostaligic treasures" this print is from The Light Fantastic etsy store. This resonates with me as I have my old ballet shoes hidden away somewhere along with other memorabilia from my early life as a dancer. This is a very space effective way to hang on to little pieces of nostalgia, without having to find the space to keep them all and move them from house to house!

i wish .... for a pretty pebble by Yoran Morvant

2010-08-23T18:49:00.000+10:00

Combining two of my favourite things - pebbles and ink 'doodles' I would love one of these amazing pebbles from Yoran Morvant's Pierres Graphiques range. See them all here at Ashes and Milk

All the pieces are hand drawn and unique both in shape and size and are definitely on my wish list.
For more pebbley goodness - see my previous finds here.

a kindred spirit

2010-08-19T10:49:00.000+10:00

It's no secret that I am an etsy fan and a place I like to visit for some inspiration is the treasury page. This where creative etsians pull together collections of products based on a theme, be it colour, shape, texture, season... pretty much anything. It's a great way to find new shops and objects to add to your favourites. I recently was drawn to a treasury by hoolacreation - it is a beautiful celebration of one of my all time favourite colours.

{Soft and Romantic Treasury by hoolacreation}

I have already added a few pieces from this collection to my favourites.

I was so impressed with the collation of some many beautiful pieces of art, jewellery and clothing that I wanted more from this talented lady. It was at this point that I discovered that she and I were kindred spirits with similar tastes, and low and behold careers. We both are graphics designers, the only difference is she has channelled her creativity into creating wonderful products - something still on my "one-day" list.

{funny and lovely colors treasury by hoolacreations}

Next up, I found this collection of aqua and red - a colour combination I recently blogged about here. My eye straight away went to the Handpainted Pattern Bowls from Kevin Oshea Designs (2nd left bottom row) and the Vintage Russian mechanical alarm clocks (far left bottom row - sold already unfortunately) from Clockwork Universe.

Another treasury colour combination is this orange and blue set called Goooood morning Etsy! There is definitely something very fresh and 'morning' like about these colours and once again some great products.
My picks: love on a sunday morning - framed print (top left) - such a tasty image, and the smiley face of the Shine mixed media collage print (2nd left - second row).

The final icing on the cake for me was this typographic celebration - Typographic addiction. I noticed a piece from plastique (the helvetica necklace) from which I still want buy something...anything. I've also now been introduced to another typorgraphy jewellery maker - junkprints. I love the visionary necklace (top row, 2nd from right). I noticed another familiar seller in Farouche whos cool Sugar and Spice tags I featured a few months ago here. This time it's the bold typographic print "you are here now" (top row - far right)
Now not only is hoolacreations a wiz at pulling together great etsy treasuries, she has a great store herself selling prints, bobby pins and necklaces. The style is a modern retro feel and very cool. Here are a few pieces that caught my eye. I seemed to be drawn to the green items - perfect for us southern hemisphere dwellers haning out for a sunny, green spring!

Round Round Handmade Bobby Pins

Spring 2 print

Spring Necklace

Catch up with hoola creations here there and everywhere: etsy, www, facebook, flickr & twitter

I want to live in CB2

2010-08-18T09:26:00.000+10:00

I have some serious retail envy for anyone who has access to a CB2 store in the USA. As I flick through their catalogue I find myself thinking, yep I could live in that room, that room, pretty much every room. It's a combination of really cool and different products, with great styling and photography. Here are a few pieces I would buy and the rooms I would live in...

This room above is made cool by the Hive Storage Unit. Coming in blocks of 3 hives, you can stack them and combine them to make your own sculptural display to house books and other nick-nacks. Did you also notice the floor lamp with the red power cord? Finally a power cord you don't need to try and hide in and around furniture!

There are 2 features in this room that I would really like - the Gear 'C' Table and console table and then the incredible Chop Chop wooden side table/stool. I really like the combination of the minimalist glass and metal Gear range with the big, chunky timber pieces.

These Chop Chop pieces also have a great back story. Using recycled urban forest timber only from trees which have been felled if they are suffering from damage caused by wind or old age, the production process is then done with minimal environmental impact. Each piece is oiled and waxed by hand. Read more about some of the people behind this project on the product info page.

Another cool CB2 room here features the Array Silver bookcase. Also check out the use of it as a towel holder in the bathroom (click through the little pictures under the main one here)

I do have a thing for yellow and love this combination of yellow chairs with the timber table, but what really caught my eye was the collection of Lumi Candleholders clustered together in the middle of the table.

I like the simplicity of these shapes and how fabulous they look with a long taper candle in them. Even better, they are pretty cheap - $2.95 - $4.95 USD - so you could afford to buy many to recreate the clustered look.

This last room close up features some pure CB2 quirkiness. The un homme and une femme vases (on the wall in the background, are one of those great features you could add to your home for a bit of unexpected fun. You can top them up with anything you like and change the way they look. Again they are so cheap, only $6.95 USD so it doesn't cost a fortune to have something different!

To add some more fun to your workspace (because every office desk needs something fun) here are a few more accessories that make me smile... I hope they make you smile today too!

mr. white photo or memo holder

stikit tape dispenser

russian nesting dolls set of six

lavender eye candy

2010-08-16T16:36:00.003+10:00

4....., originally uploaded by Kirsty Mitchell.

I have been completely blown away with a discovery I made last night. The fashion photography of Kristy Mitchell is so amazingly vibrant, I dare you not to be in awe. This image in particular gives me such joy. A few years ago I read a great book - Wild Lavender By Belinda Alexandra - which is initially set on a lavender farm in France. The book has such beautiful, vivid descriptions of the rows of purple flowers. Now combine that with this incredible fashion image and you have WOW factor!

getaway to...Italy

2010-08-13T17:00:00.000+10:00

A little while ago we took a virtual trip to Paris thanks to the beautiful photography of Irene Suchocki - is photography. If you didn't come along, please check it out here.
Yesterday I popped by Irene's site again and instantly fell in love with the amazing candy coloured images from her travels in Italy.

If you fancy these pretty prints in your own home, you're in luck as they are available in Irene's etsy store. She has even assembled a great set of 4 prints of these great images from Burano, Italy. Here are a few more Italian beauties to get your weekend started nicely!

Check out the full set of prints in the etsy store or for more of Irenes work see her website or her myspotify shop. I just love the treatment she gives her images. They are so dreamy or to quote Irene "Poetry for the eyes".

i wish... for a soul bird

2010-08-12T15:22:00.000+10:00

Todays 'i wish' has a Finnish theme to it to keep in line with my recent posts.

{Soul Birds by Sanna Annukka}

Sanna Annukka has been on my radar for a while as I seem to keep seeing her work popping in lots of my favourite pretty places online. Half Finnish and half English, it is easy to spot the influence her childhood summers in Finland have had on her work. She has taken the folklore tales of the Kalevala and applied it to her work, including a print range for Marimekko.

{Kanteleen kutsu fabric by Marimekko}

Christmas pieces from Marimekko by Sanna Annukka

I really love the bold graphic style in her work and it translates so well from simple black and white, to vibrant colours (as favoured by Marimekko). Sanna has an online store where you can purchase the Soul Birds (the little ones are out of stock though). She also sells screenprints, including this spectacular city-scape.

{Archipelago}

{Magic Berry Bush}

{Call of The Cuckoo}

I certainly could find some wall space for these! Check out Sanna's website and online shop here and enjoy!

a forest of birch

2010-08-11T14:10:00.000+10:00

One of my favourite Finnish 'things' is a forest of birch trees. There is something so elegant about the white trunks and they are equally picturesque in Summer when they are crowned with bright green leaves, as in winter when they are coated in snow. It seems I'm not the only when inspired by the birch tree. Here are some etsy treasures that pay homage to birch.

I love this view captured in this print from an original artwork by Dream Gallery. I love the blue sky seen filtered through the birch leaf canopy and can really relate to this view from my recent summer holiday in Finland.

This piece by Garry McMichael is another print from an original artwork. This time the brich tree is captured in pencil as the Autumn leaves are yellowing and thinning.

To round out the seasonal variations, this Winter image is a silkscreen print created by Strawberry Luna.

Both the above artworks are by Lucia Johnson. Top: 'daisy sun print' Bottom: 'birch grove in blue' I love the colour palettes of both these pieces - especially the bottom combination of a dirty blue with taupe and olive natural tones.

Rounding out the collection is this stunning woodblock print by Viza Arlington. For me this image captures the view I remember travelling in a car or train through the Finnish countryside in Winter. I think this is my favourite of all, but they are all wonderful!

more marimekko

2010-08-10T15:02:00.001+10:00

Here are a few more pieces of eye candy from Marimekko.

The Oiva tableware range combines a graphic black and white pattern with bursts of colour on simple shapes. The pieces were designed by Sami Ruotsalainen and the patterns are the work of Maija Louekari. I like the shapes of the pieces. They feel somewhat organic with the simple shapes. I also like the way the print isn't perfectly centred like on the large black and white plate.

Don't they look great all stacked and mixed together? I saw these pieces quite often and really like when they are mixed back with simple plain plates.
Another favourite is the Kippis range. Kippis means cheers is Finnish and this pattern was also designed by Maija Louekari.

I can see some reference to the classic Kastehelmi range of glassware from Iittala originally designed by Toikka in 1964. I like the idea of referencing a piece of classic Finnish design (which you see in many Finnish homes) in a new design piece.

Finn-tastic fabrics

2010-08-09T16:35:00.000+10:00

It comes as no surprise that I have returned home from Finland with a re-ignited passion for fabrics. One of my favourite Finnish habits is the changing of home decor to match the seasons. Helped by clearly defined and very different seasons, I really like the idea of having decor that changes along with the outside world. It is also a great excuse to change things around and really play with different colours and make the most of the incredible fabrics available. On one of my last days in Finland I found the Vallila range of curtains with prints designed by Tanja Orsjoki. New curtains has always been on our 'to do' list for home, but now I have become a little bit obsessed - if only I had measured up all our windows before I went away!
Today I thought I would celebrate some great seasonal Finnish decor.

Here are a few of the prints I love from the Vallila Spring Collection. These were available as ready made curtains, as well as bolts of fabric.

I couldn't do this post without a splash of colour and bold prints from Marimekko. These vibrant prints are part of the summer 2010 range. For a great example of the way the Finns swap around design and decor based ont he seasons, compare the summer range (here) to the more muted tones of autumn (here). It' perfectly understandable that you would prefer deep navy, green or ochre colours to frame a window overlooking the flaming colours of Autumn.

false start

2010-08-06T17:24:00.000+10:00

So perhaps I got off to a false start a few days ago when I bounced back to work and back to blogging from my Finland holiday. Despite best intentions and being literally overflowing with fabulous topics to blog about, time has eluded me and I find myself last thing Friday trying to make a promise to be back next week with some sort of regularity. Only time will tell if that can be.
One of the topics I want to get into is the wonderful world of prints. It would be impossible to come back from Finland, home of Marimekko, Iittala and Arabia, and not have found some amazing prints on fabrics and ceramics! So stay tuned for some posts about pretty prints...like these beautiful Vallila fabrics...

... so till next week

Back to life

2010-08-03T15:31:00.000+10:00

So I've landed back to my real life with a bit of a thud. I had a truly spectacular 3 weeks in Finland. The weather was amazing and most of our time was spent relaxing with family and friends under green trees and blue skies and either along-side or, even better swimming in the lovely lakes. I can't help but smile just thinking about it and will be hanging on to these memories for a long time.
For now though it is back to work and a wintry Sydney (though I hear we missed the worst of the cold) and back to my daily search for something creative and fun for me to wrap my arms around.
I've decided to celebrate my return to blogging with a Finland theme through some of my up-coming posts. Today it is all about a great online poster shop I have found - Come To Finland. We are going to be buying a poster from this shop any day now to bring a little piece of my husbands homeland into our home.

I actually spotted this Finland tourism poster from 1948 on the Poster Team website, fell in love with it, then noticed the price was $800 USD (ouch!). Obviously an original. Luckily for me I didn't have to despair for too long as within a few minutes I found the Come To Finland poster shop where I can purchase a great reproduction for a bargain price - 19euro (plus some postage and handling).
There is a also a great story behind the website and coffee table book of the same name. The guys behind it all, Magnus Londen, Joakim Energen, Ant Simmons, call themselves Poster Hunters and they have put together a celebration of Finnish Travel Posters from 1851 - 1965. After hunting through archives they have dusted off old posters that had been hidden away in archives and put together a book. You can view it here online (free) - it's truly a labour of love.
As I mentioned we wanted something very 'Finnish' for our walls and this piece of classic graphic design is perfect. Here are some other gems they have available:

This poster is especially close to my heart as I have spent some amazing time on Lake Saimaa - it truly is the loveliest in Finland!

mid year break

2010-07-05T16:42:00.000+10:00

Thanks for stopping by at embrace the pretty. I'm off on a lovely holiday to Finland to catch-up with my second family, see friends and generally relax! If this is your first time visiting please browse through my previous embraces of loveliness out there in the world. If you've been before why not check back in on some of my favourite finds over the past year.

Check out pretty inspiration for.. well inspiration. This is where I keep work from talented people out there such as the sublime Yellena James and many more artists.

Drop by my pretty purchase section for some virtual retail therapy. It's like my personal wishlist for objects I would love to own such as this bernabeifreeman fragment tray. I do have a soft spot for homewares, but you will also find jewellery and fashion in amongst there.

You might also start to notice some trends/obsessions, like my pebble-love recently ingnited by the Delica etsy shop.
Also check our some themed weeks I have had on embrace the pretty, like Sex and the City and Alice in Wonderland.
Have a look around and tell me what you think and I look forward to coming back early August and sharing all sorts of pretty things from Scandinavia!
x elsa

kismet with pincushions

2010-06-28T17:10:00.000+10:00

I've just had one of those lovely kismet moments - about pincushions of all things! My hubby was searching our button collection to replace some missing from about 3 pairs of shorts (he's been well trained!). While showing him the button collection and sewing kit, I was dismayed to see my pincushion well and truly on it's last legs. This is my original pincushion I have had since I was a little girl (maybe 7 or 8) when I received my first sewing kit. It (once) was a red satin dome surrounded by little chinamen around the edge holding hands. Just like this one over on Flickr. The sawdust stuffing is coming out and there is barely any fabric left to hold the pins in place - kind of making it a little redundant as a pincushion!
The kismet moment came when I popped by etsy and found, right there on the homepage, the lovely pincushions from minusOne.

Each of the pincushions are made from reclaimed fabrics and topped off with a vintage button. They are also filled with polyfil, so now more leaking sawdust for me!
Check out the great range of patterns that have been given a new life. The fabrics previous lives range from vintage cotton sheets to a 1940's picnic table cloth.
Check out the etsy shop here.

my purple patch

2010-06-24T18:06:00.001+10:00

After recent neglect I wanted to get back to this blog and my daily search for prettiness. I've been having a particularly un-inspiring time with my job lately, but luckily have had a few spots of creativity to brighten things up.
I'm currently working on some wedding invitations and other design pieces for a friend. We share very similar tastes so it's been a pleasure. Even more fortunate is that we work with generous printers who help us dream big. For this invite I'm {fingers crossed} having a die-cut on the invite cover for a bit of wow-factor. Anyway I thought I would share a few of the inspirational images I've sourced for the colour palette. Initially the bride wanted the design to be very simple, elegant and neutral. After I did the first concepts for her we decided that she is far too much of a colourful person to stick to such a monotone palette. She already had her bridesmaid dresses which were a dark taupe colour and we have now decided to put a punch of purple into the wedding colours.

Here are just a few of the images I pulled together to get just the right mix and shade of colour.
Top Left: via Style Me Pretty I really appreciate the little personal touches that give some personality to the wedding. Take a look at all the images from this wedding and read the story of how the couple pulled it all together themselves.
Top right: via Style Me Pretty A stunning mix of blooms in shade of purple and creams. I love the pearl details too!
Bottom: via Style me Pretty An nice example for the bride of how purple can be paired with neutral colours in a simple but oh so effective way.
As you can see I am totally in love with Style Me Pretty! I'll have more from my inspiration files soon...

lavender love

2010-06-15T12:28:00.000+10:00

As I watched the bees buzz around my lavender over the weekend I was reminded of a recent Masterchef episode where lavender was used in cooking. I was drooling over the Jam filled donuts with lavender sugar and thrilled at the idea of attempting them... one day.
I love the scent of lavender and would like to have a go at cooking with it. There are plenty of recipes out there for Lavender Cookies, especially shortbread but my favourite is from the I love milk and cookies blog.

Jen not only gives a wonderful background tale about how she came to adapt this recipe, she accompanies it with these lovely, drool worthy pictures! See the story and recipe here! Jen is a Sydney girl living in London, but unfortunately it looks as though she has moved on from her blog with the last post over a year old. Luckily she has left this little gem out there for me to find.

p.s isn't this a lovely colour combination - the lavender and powder blue!

My little foodie adventure hasn't ended here either. This tale was destined to make a full loop. Travelling through the food blog-isphere (which in itself is a large and wonderful place!) I ended up on another Aussie food blogger site, Spicy Ice Cream. Lisa shares a recipes for Lemon and Ricotta Baked Doughnuts (and I'm back to donuts!) that she has made from Gourmet Traveller magazine. I really like the idea of baking donuts. We don't have a deep fryer so any fried food we make involves a lot of oil and the smell of seems to stick around the house long after the food has been eaten.

I had spotted some lemon and lavender cookie recipes, so I think I could adapt all these recipes into one! Oven baked ricotta and lemon donuts with a dusting lavender sugar. I'll let you know how I go!

soon soon soon Finland

2010-06-10T17:31:00.001+10:00

Finland = land of many lakes, originally uploaded by Umbar.

I'm counting down to these moments next month when I will be in Finland for a 3 week holiday!
Ahhh some quite time by a lake - just what I need!

cut it out - Essimar paper craft

2010-06-09T11:45:00.000+10:00

Having spent some time recently with a blade cutting shapes from paper, I can really appreciate the skill and patience it has taken Essimar artist Esther Ramirez to create these lovely cards.

I love the way a bright shot of colour comes through the cut-out areas of these greeting cards. The paper also looks yummy and thick and creamy.

I can only wonder how many times I would need to start over through accidents - to myself or to the paper!
All of the above cards are available through the Essimar etsy shop.
From top: Tu Card, Mios Card, Mint Love

There are also some lovely other styles of paper craft cards like this Ama Card where each dot has been hand cut and individually glued in place. I think this one may be safer to try at home than the cut-outs!

colour crush - aqua and red

2010-06-04T17:10:00.000+10:00

I've been crushing on this colour combo for some time.There is something uplifting about aqua and red together. It does have to be the right shades of both - a blue aqua and a raspberry red are my preference. Here are a few of my finds in this colour crush.

{Raspberry financiers - tuki}

This is image makes my mouth water! It is a delicious example of this colour combo!

Another delicious pic from Cannille et Vanille.

I love that jug in the background!

Proving that it's not all about food in this colour palette, here are some lovely uses of aqua and red around the home. Above is a lovely photo capturing breakfast in a garden.

Another great example of decorating with aqua and red and is another breakfast snap shot which tells me this is a great colour combo to get you started on a great day! This photo is from a Flickr set by Saidos da Concha who shares my colour crush. Check out the full set here. I love this house! It would be so much fun to be able to add so much colour to your home!

{Yarn & Thread blur by Madeline Bea}

This last example is a more abstract image, but I love so much about it. Firstly the colour, especially the balance with a tiny bit of blue against all the raspberry, but it's the super soft focus for me that makes this image sing!

i wish - a bernabeifreeman fragment tray

2010-06-03T10:32:00.001+10:00

OK so I truly wish for many pieces from bernabeifreeman, but this fragment tray would be a nice beginning for me!

creative collections

2010-05-31T14:42:00.000+10:00

I have just had a major penny drop! I spotted this great image as part of the latest Color Me Pretty post on Decor8

This lovely collection of vintage buttons very much reminded me of my mum and her incredible collection of buttons in all shapes and sizes. Just a few weekends ago we had pulled out some clothing mum had made for my brothers and I when we were young. Each piece had a fabulous button, whether one sweet mother of pearl or a series of more novelty buttons. Mum admitted she had made a naval themed brunch coat for my brother around some whale buttons she had. It got me thinking of some of the other wonderful collections my mum has.

Then I cam across this spoon collection image in my Flickr favourites, which when I found a while back also reminded me of my mum. She has an amazing spoon collection in all shapes and sizes, material and ages. So now the penny has dropped that my mum has a heap of cool stuff that would make amazing photos!
So today I have headed out to Flickr and found a wonderful range of collection photos, all of which share something in common with one of my mums many collections.

Vintage spools via hindsvik

a matchbox collection via Camilla Engman

old and new tins via cousas pequenas

bric-a-brac via sweetjessie

Last but not least is this beautifully organised fabric collection from Ingthings

Along with great buttons, mum has some beautiful fabric remnants. My favourites are the ones which went into making some of my dresses when I was little. My mum has wonderful displays of her collections all over her house, but I had never considered photographing them. I like the idea of this as a project because behind a lot of the pieces there is a story which would be nice to capture and keep alive.

a little toe warmer

2010-05-31T13:20:00.002+10:00

Whit's Knits: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Booties, originally uploaded by the purl bee.

Just a little something colourful to warm up any chilly feet in Sydney today! I love these colours and could really do with some warm, woolly socks right now!

geometric gems - Sex and The City

2010-05-28T14:40:00.001+10:00

Bernabeifreeman are a duo whos cut lace lights and screens are featured in many fabulous locations locally and around the worldwide. I especially love their lace lights, but more appropriately for my theme this week, they have partnered with Designer Rugs to create an incredible range of rugs in their own graphic style.

Applique - 100% Wool Rug

Brodie - Wool and Silk rug

With a strong geometric feel, I think that any one of these rugs adds an element of Arabian style to any room anywhere in the world. They would certainly be an amazing feature piece! I actually think they look very much like the light patterns you get from Moroccan style lanterns.

Bias - 100% Wool Rug, with a peek of a Lace screen in the background

Check out the full range of bernbeifreeman Designer Rugs here, and also view all the great range of lighting, screens and more at bernbeifreeman.

look the part - Sex and The City

2010-05-27T14:17:00.000+10:00

I can't have a week seeking inspiration from the new Sex and The City movie without involving fashion.
Luckily for me a little while back I discovered the wonderful website Polyvore. It's chock full of incredible clothes, shoes and accessories but my favourite part of the site is the create section where you get to put together incredible outfits using designer clothing labels like Diane Von Furstenberg and Alexander McQueen and unbelievably cool shoes by Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo. In essence it's a girls dream! I think of it as the modern day equivalent of paper dolls!
Not only can you browse amazing pieces, and of course find out where to purchase them should you be so lucky, but you can create mood boards using your fave designer pieces. There are some very talented people who are doing amazing mood boards - you can browse them all here.
I've picked out a few which I think would not be out of place in Sex and The City 2 with bright colours, amazing shoes and an overall feel suitable for camel rides across sand dunes - well maybe not suitable, but very chic!
Enjoy and go play at Polyvore for yourself!

Papaya! by Hennie Henne Baby featuring Aeropostale bags

Tangerine n Fucsia by Alexianoor featuring Lanvin dresses

Happy Birthday girls!! by ♥ℓιfε ιs bεαutιfuℓ♥(Busy) featuring Lanvin shoes

Just Another Woman In Love by Neki featuring Emilio Pucci dresses

a splash of colour - Sex and The City

2010-05-26T16:36:00.000+10:00

After yesterdays 'goldwash' post, I've gone in search of colour today. My biggest problem is that all my favourite local retailers are in winter mode. The charcoal, black and navy colour pallette is a far cry from the exotic middle east flavour the fabulous 4 ladies encounter in Sex and The City 2. I did find some great inspiration from the portfolio of photographer Pia Ulin

These images sum up the look i'm chasing. I have turned to the UK based retailer Dutch By Design, which you can probably guess stocks pieces inspired by the Dutch design aesthetic.

First up is this Multi Colour Gypsy Chandelier which is a great eclectic mix of bright colours.

Next I found this String Door Curtain, perfect for making a grand entrance Samantha style!

and lastly while not middle eastern, this JuJu Hat feather cushion has the right amount of colour and fabulousness to be included here. It's actually modelled on a headdress of royalty in the African country Cameroon. Fun though right?
I'll off to try and track down more vibrant coloured goodies.

all that glitters - Sex and The City

2010-05-25T14:38:00.000+10:00

To kick off my Sex in The City post series in true SATC style, I have gone for opulent lashings of gold all with a middle eastern flavour.

First up is this great Gold Moroccan Leather Pouffe from Graham and Green. You could perch your designer clad derrière nicely atop this.

Along side you would be this opulent gold Chrome Tam Tam table designed by Henry Massonnet in 1968. It would almost be rude to place a cocktail or champagne glass on top of this, but if you were Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte or Miranda you would do it anyway!

How about dining from these gold rimmed pieces from the Persis Dinnerware Collection By Rosenthal?

A few more pieces to complete the scene. The Gra Suspension Lamp By Terzani would cast beautiful light down over us as we gather around for a girls night.

.... and finally this beautiful Alessi Cactus Gold Fruit holder. I would like to see this overflowing with exotic fruit. So would you join me at this little golden soire I have planned out?

Sex and the City 2 - a week of fabulousness

2010-05-24T16:03:00.000+10:00

I've decided to do another themed week around the upcoming Sex and The City 2 movie. Even if you're not a fan of the TV series and have no intention of seeing the movie, there is so much visual fabulousness that can be drawn on for inspiration.

{above image from Tine K Home}

Tune in for posts full of colour and texture inspired by the middle east. I'll focus on home styling and products as well as a quick dabble into fashion. After all Sex and The City is all about those amazing clothes!

For this image and more - check out the movie facebook page and if you haven't seen it yet, watch the movie trailer over here.

custom cupcakes

2010-05-21T16:30:00.000+10:00

A little sweet finish to the week.

I just discovered these Cupcake wrappers over at Alfresco Emporium. These laser cut paper wrapper slip over a standard cupcake to really dress them up! They come in packs of 12 and a range of themes, including a little boy friendly cob-web design.

It's probably a bit ostentatious, but don't they look lovely! They could also hide any baking imperfections nicely. Shown here: Seashells, Baby(which comes in both blue and pink), Butterfly and my favourite Ivy

pebbles and felt

2010-05-20T17:02:00.000+10:00

A few of my favourite things have come together and I am thrilled to have found them. I have a thing for pebble shapes and have made some lovely pebble finds over the past year. I am also a fan of felt. I love the texture and softness and think it has a real homely quality to it. You can imagine my excitement yesterday when I discovered the Delica etsy shop full of felted pebbly goodness!

Left: Felted Pebble Gift Set in Blue tones - All my favourite colours together >gush< I just want to pick these pebbles up!
Right: Aqua Dot Felted Bowl Duo - Another great colour and texture combo and great little bowls for keeping all sorts of knick-knacks in, or simply a nice decorating piece.

Even better for a necklace lover like me are these pebble shaped felt necklaces! I think I might combust as this is all so for me! I would take one of everything if I could.
Top left: Gadelle Felted Necklace - this beauty comes in a few colour ways with this denim blue one my fave.
Top right: Felted Pebbles on Leather Necklace - these are a more traditional pebble look and a statement piece necklace
Bottom left: Felted wool pebble necklace - a woolly pendant. The larger grey pebble is about 6cm diameter, so another nice big statement necklace
Bottom right: Silver white necklace - this multi strand necklace takes felt into the warmer months. The tight white merino wool balls don't look as cosy on the silver ribbon so you could wear this in spring or summer.

For more pebbly wonderfulness, I love these Felted Acorns. They are lavender filled and come in a nice colour range. Again my pick is the blue colour way. These would make a really nice gift that can be put out on display or tucked into drawers as a scent sachet.

.....and one more way to get felted pebbles into your life, this Set of 4 magnets would hold things up in style on your fridge. Visit Delica, my new favourite etsy shop and also check out the blog fro Delica's latest felted creations.

i wish - a collection of white bottles

2010-05-19T09:57:00.000+10:00

I love a nice collection of bottles, particularly white on white and all different shapes. So I wish for this entire collection of White Matte Bottles from ceramicist Sara Paloma. For a cool $800USD I might have to start slowly with one piece at a time!

too much cool - Isa Form

2010-05-18T15:44:00.001+10:00

I just took myself on a quick journey, wading through google translating pages from German and Swedish all because of this image.

There is just so much coolness about this room! I love the pops of green and yellow against the black and whit, the old school clock, peace sign and yellow taper candles. By far though, the stand out pieces in this room are the 2 prints - the big black and white pear and the yellow apple in green frame. I came across this image via A Merry Mishap's flickr favourites. Unfortunately I can't find the owner of this amazing room, but I have found the artist behind those cool prints.

From what I can tell Isa from Isa Form, found this great use of her prints from a fellow Swedish blogger Inspiration and Design and posted them to her own blog.

These 2 prints, pear and apple are from Isa's kitchen print range. I think they are so unique and just too cool.
There are plenty of other great prints to choose from in a range of categories, like Nature, Love and Buildings.

This is the Yama ki print from the buildings range and is another great use of simple black and white and an eye-popping colour. Anyway, I've had a fun journey and can only dream of having a dining room that cool!

living wall art

2010-05-18T12:15:00.000+10:00

A while ago I saw some examples of Parisian vertical gardens which blew my mind. The master of this area is Patrik Blanc who has made this type a garden a true artform.

Vertical Gardens or Le Mur Vegetal are living works of art, which require no soil and are kept alive through built in watering systems. It is almost like painting with plants with care taken in selecting plants by colour and texture to create these breathtaking buildings. Companies as varied as Cartier and McDonalds have invested in Patrik Blanc's vertical gardens to embellish their buildings. See some of the amazing examples of his 'installations' on his website.
I really like the idea of a vertical herb garden for people like me who are a little space challenged. Our home has a nice sunny courtyard that could really do with some greenery. I have found a local company called Lushe who are vertical garden enthusiasts and sell systems for us mere mortals to try and emulate the great work of Patrik Blanc. They also document different types of vertical gardens they have come across like the
the edible wall in an LA Pizza restaurant.

or this Maze vertical garden which I think look great and no surprise that it comes from uber-cool US retailer CB2.

feet warmers

2010-05-13T12:49:00.000+10:00

After the coldest May night in 4 years last night, I have found myself embracing my ugg boots for another chilly winter. I love my uggs and maintain a strict indoor only policy with them. I have found another alternative for keeping feet warm from a very stylish lady living in New Zealand.

Holland Designs has a range of crochet patterns for sale which allows you to create some stylish indoor footwear.

{top left} Skimmer T-Strap Ballet Flats
{top right} Ladies Rose Garden Ballet Flats

{bottom left} Ladies Sporty-Casual Crocheted Flats

{bottom right} Ladies Cross-Strap Ballet Flats

Don't they look super comfy and not the least bit daggy!

There's also a stylish alternative for men with the Mens Oxford Loafers

Also for those worried about your ankles getting cold then these Cabled Cuff Boots are for you

All these patterns are from the Adult Slipper section of the store. Holland Design also caters for little feet and heads with a range of booties, slippers and hats for kids. Check them all out in the etsy store.

Now I just need to learn how to crochet!

make work (more) fun

2010-05-12T14:51:00.000+10:00

For some lucky people out there, work is actually a fun or at least enjoyable part of life. For others it's a bit of a drag. I'm a tiny bit of one, but sadly more of the second. Wouldn't it be great to find some ways to make any work more fun? Well lucky for us all places like Upon A Fold have a few cool and quirky products that could inject some happiness to the daily grind. They have collected some cool products from all around the world and I have picked out a few here to show you.

I know there are plenty of alternatives for the humble yellow post-it note, but these Match Post Its are by far the coolest I've seen.

I really like the retro styling of the packaging as well and would happily have these on my desk.
Next up are some "collaboration" tools. Well, it's paper you can scrunch up and throw around the office!

These Play More More More notepads are practical and lined on one side, while on the other they are printed with patterns that let you scrunch them into balls and kick about ideas with your colleagues.
Last, but not least is a great stationary product for tech-heads out there. I know sit in lots of meetings with people who place their iPhone on the table in front of them. I would really like one of these Notepods in front of me and get to note taking in a traditional way!

There's even a iPad version already, which if I'm quick, could mean I beat my techy colleagues to the punch with having an iPad to take to meetings! I love fun stuff like this and am so pleased places like Upon A Fold bring them all together for us. Check out the website and blog here and find some papery wonderfulness for yourself.

quick flickr - Out of space

2010-05-11T17:36:00.001+10:00

Out of space, originally uploaded by Romina-.

I favourited this recently on Flickr and in my quest for a cool poster. There;s so much to like about this - the simplicity, the compilation and the colours.

pretty out - emma kisstina

2010-05-10T16:56:00.000+10:00

You know all the things that make it fun to be a girly girl? Well talented swedish artist Kristina Hultkrantz, aka Emma Kisstina, has captured them all beautifully in her fun and light style.

A pretty perfume, like Miss Dior Cherie? - Check

Hot red lipstick? done

Killer Heels? Check

Nail polish in pretty pinks? got that too

Anything missing? Oh what about a cocktail to sip on.

Raise your Cosmo ladies - here it is!

Check out the etsy store, as well as the blog and flickr for my female fabulousness!

design inspired - posters

2010-05-10T16:39:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since I had a browse around the world for graphic design inspiration. Over the weekend I picked up some copies of IDN magazine which I buy quite regularly but never get as much time as I would like to pour over the pages. It's with this in mind that today I share with you some cool poster from London based designers Binary & The Brain.

These guys have some really cool pieces in their portfolio, but I particularly like these 2 posters (which they sell). The Birds and Better Than Nothing posters have an Escher-esq factor which I like. My grandfather was an engineer and very mathematical man who introduced me to the works of M C Escher at a young age. I used to love finding all the intricacies in each piece. I can see the influence in the birds poster particularly, but love the way the guys have added a typographic twist. I'm on the look out for a cool, but grown-up poster to frame for a wall on our stairwell. I would like something with personality but also is a cool piece of graphic art.

i wish - a birch alphabet

2010-05-07T17:36:00.001+10:00

Short and sweet

A birch plywood alphabet wall art piece from bookhou

pretty escape - Daria Jabenko

2010-05-07T14:42:00.000+10:00

I love finding talented ladies out there who are making a living being creative. Today I invite you to escape into the lovely world of Illustrator Daria Jabenko.

Daria has a lovely, elegant and feminine style that has seen her work commercially as an Illustrator for clients like Conde Nast Germany and magazines Cosmopolitan and Madame. I often see illustrations, like Daria's in magazines and wonder who is behind them. What a great way to earn a living!

I am particularly fond of the jewellery featured in all these pieces. My mum used to make big ornate earrings just like these which I'm lucky to have these days. I always enjoy drawing this type of jewellery as it's full of swirls and curls. See Daria's editorial work on her website and enjoy the prettiness of it all!

pretty inspiration - in the air

2010-05-06T14:25:00.001+10:00

After a pretty hectic and non-creative period in my work-life in the past few months, I'm finally getting some time to look around for design inspiration. Today I looked at Behance for the first time in months and was immediately rewarded with some eye candy from Los Angeles based photographer Julia Galdo.

Julia's Behance portfolio features her In The Air series of wonderful images. Part fashion shoot, part artworks these images have such a beautiful feel to them. The model floating in each scenario looks effortless and somehow natural.

I love the colour combinations in all these shots. The yellow tights against the orange door and the purple leggings above the yellow and green field. I also think the turf hat in this one above is quirky and cool

You can see more of Julia's work at her website or in Behance portfolio. If you love colour and fashion, check out the Color Steps series - very cool!

simple pretty - pigeon toe ceramics

2010-05-05T10:37:00.000+10:00

I have something so lovely and so pretty to share today. Last week I came across Pigeon Toe Ceramics and I have been thinking a lot about their lovely range of homewares.

{Mason Jar Pendant Light & Mason Jar Votive Lantern}

This range of Mason Jar pieces is a combination of beautiful white porcelain and a vintage bottle shape. I love the label font 'Kerr'. We used to have a lot of these types of jars and cans around when I was young as my mum used to do a lot of preserved fruit and jams using her pressure cooker. I loved the way the sliced fruit would glow when the sun came behind them all stacked on top of the kitchen cupboards. I love the way these pieces have been turned into lighting themselves and the also get a lovely glow when lit.

Here are some more wonderful Pigeon Toe products. This aesthetic is my all time favourite - matt white with unexpected details like a pop of colour or a unique shape.
top: Volcano Bud Vase in Wheat - I love the yellow on the inside, but its also a great squat shape to add to a collection of taller vases maybe.
bottom left: Cast Pharmacy Bottle - another re-purposed vintage piece. Old medicine jars have been popular for a long time, but as vintage glass pieces. I think the porcelain casting gives it a modern and fresh look.
bottom right: Hanging Test Tube Vase} - these would be great hanging in front of a window with fresh cut flowers. I'm terrible at buying flowers for my home, but think they look so good. With these little bud vases I could snip a single bloom from our garden and have it on show (without stripping my few flowering garden plants!)

{Scribble Nesting Bowls} I love this colour combination - wheat and aqua!

In the etsy profile the last sentence I think sums things up wonderfully "Clean and tactile, white and pure". Everything I love in ceramics.
Check out the Pigeon Toe Etsy store, but for a world of delights visit their website to see the full product collection. While there also have a look at the process of creating a piece of Pigeon Toe Ceramics.

a pretty escape - freya art

2010-05-03T22:08:00.001+10:00

Today I want to share something that I think is just so pretty and a lovely escape for us all on a Monday. Let's step into the darling world of illustrator Freya from freya-art

{Garden - Let's plant our dreams in this garden and entwine oursleves like vines}

I like a good inspiration poster and places like etsy are full of them, but with all the "Keep Calm and Carry Ons", it's nice to come across original, beautiful prints with a message so sweet as this above.

There is just so much to like in Freya's work. I find her style to have a lovely innocence to it. I like the idea of surrounding yourself with little messages of hope and happiness at home and even at work (where it may be needed more). I adore this bottom piece, Skimming Stars - "We came to sit and dangle our feet off the edge of the world and skim stars across the sky". Just beautiful and delivered through the lovely hand drawn typeface.

The other prints shown here are Without You I Would Be Lost and All The Most Beautiful Things.

I discovered Freya's work through her website, but you can purchase her piece from the etsy store too.

These artworks and more are available in large and medium prints as well as greeting cards. I think these would be lovely gifts - perhaps for mother's day!

colour crush - Chrysophrase

2010-05-01T18:37:00.001+10:00

Just what exactly is Chrysophrase you might ask. Well I had never heard of it before, but now know that it is a gemstone in one of my favourite colour tones.

It was these Chrysoprase and Silver Pebble Studs from ashley jewelry that introduced me to Chrysophrase. What would you call the colour of the gemstone: apple green or maybe sea green? It's slighter bluer than jade and can't be described as green or even aqua.

Being a natural gem the colours can vary from deeper shades to a paler almost jade colour. These earings are from an incredible jewellery etsy store - briguys girls. Here are 2 more pieces from the same shop featuring the same stone.

While I like the faceted pendant above, I am totally smitten with the bottom piece and it is quickly up high on my wish list. I love the combination of the cool coloured smooth tear drop stone and the delicate silver leaf shaped pieces.

I'm also reminded of some Dinosaur Design pieces which embrace this colour.

Both these pieces are from the Bamboo collection which is a few years old now but still a favourite of mine.
The bottom Dinosaur pieces remind me of Celadon pottery - the glaze used in asian ceramics.

This is a photo a bowl which is part of my mum's collection of Celadon - perhaps this is where my love for this colour comes from!
Whatever it's called - this is my current (and pretty constant) colour crush!

nuts for knits

2010-04-29T23:55:00.001+10:00

It has been such a long time since I had a leisurely wander through etsy, so with a winter chill in the air, I thought I would check out some cosy knits. I have had a few items in my favourites for a while, but they were on hold until the weather was cooler.

This cosy neckwarmer made by Les Tricots Du Coeur is one such piece I found a while ago. I really like that is a cotton knit and not wool. I think that this would feel lovely against your skin and I love the colour and buttons. So stylish under a great wool coat! One of my favourite things about winter is wearing a great coat with a scarf. I just wish sometimes it would be cool enough to go the full ensemble with hats and gloves too.

I'm always one to match my accessories and this totally fabulous hand knit bangle really has caught my eye. I love the mis-matched buttons and the vintage key charm. Such an original piece from the wonderfully named Knot Original store.

Taking it one more (and probably ridiculous) step further in matching accessories is this wonderful knitted Cup Cozy Mug Sleeve from natalya1905. Again there is a lovely button attached, which you can select yourself from 3 different options. I think the shape in this one resembles a coffee bean shape and I appreciate that type a synergy! These come in some amazing colours with cool names, like Yellow Honey Golden Mustard, Twilight Plum Eggplant Vegan and Kiss Love Passion Wedding Bride.

These next few pieces are from an etsy shop which I could buy so many things from. The store is Beaded Wire and while being a jewellery store, I am in love with the knitted pieces like this Ruffled Aqua Scarf with Rose Scarf Pin. I think it is so elegant the way it sits... and this happens to be one of my all-time favourite colours! I think I would also wear the rose pin (which detaches) by itself as a brooch.

This Double Ruffle Neck Warmer is another elegant piece. Have a look at how it comes together over here. A simple button through and you're ready to go! This is another beautiful colour too, a really different shade of muted red or rust as it's described by the seller.

Add another ruffle to the mix and you get this Triple Ruffle Cowl which to me has a real Elizabethan feel to it. Certainly would keep your neck cosy though!
Anyway I have plenty to ponder over as it's not quite cool enough yet to be scarf weather, but I have loved spending some pretty time in etsy today! I hope you liked some of my picks too.

tickled pink - a northern spring

2010-04-27T11:24:00.000+10:00

While we here in the southern hemisphere slip slowly towards winter, our northern hemisphere friends are shaking off the covers of a chilly winter and embracing spring. It's certainly infectious reading all the blog posts and seeing all the lovely images of my favourite northerners as they get excited and outdoors. While nothing beats the beautiful weather we have nearly year round here in Australia, all the buzz about a changing season makes you wish for a more definite seasonal change here.

Here are a few of my favourite odes to Spring from the northern hemisphere:

{untitled}

{cherry blossoms by ~elena}
The lovely elena has a whole set of her beautiful spring images full of blossoms, tulips and scrumptious macarons! View them here

{Don't let go!}

{flowers and bees}

{untitled} I love the colour treatment given to this picture, it has a lovely vintage, romantic quality.

Don't these all make you want to stand under some cherry blossom trees with petals raining down on you?

the art wall

2010-04-23T13:56:00.002+10:00

I stumbled across a new little creative corner of the web the other day - The Art Wall
It is a curated collection of wonderful artworks by wonderfully talented people. I love the presentation of them in illustrated rooms.

The above is the current collection on display in the Dining Room. The wonderful room illustrations are by talented artist Jessica Swift - who has a wonderful portfolio to check out. Each room is based on the Art Wall's proprietor Katie. I really appreciate the effort Katie goes to pulling these collections together. You get to see a variety of artworks in various mediums from many different artists. I really like the common cool colour theme running through the above collection. All the artworks are for sale, often through the artists own etsy store and the price range is capped at $500.

The Art Wall is certainly going to be a new place I drop by regularly for a dose of inspiration.

Today I have fallen for this Galoshes and Skirt Print by Jen Hewett, currently hanging in the Kitchen.

let's get outside - Terrain

2010-04-19T20:21:00.001+10:00

I'm not sure why, but I've been a bit flat lately on the whole inspiration front. Usually I have a pile of places and things I want to explore through this blog, but it just has not been coming the past few days. Luckily, all that has just changed and I have found myself being taken on a tangent and discovering something lovely to share.
I was looking through the lovely Flickr gallery of Honey and Jam, again lusting over her lovely rough mug (see it here). I read through some of the comments and found that the mug was from Terrain. I went off to google and came across this lovely homewares shop. A few things caught my eye here, like the Cast Iron Apple Pot and of course the Boulder Mug that I arrived there for in the first place, but it was something else that stirred my excitment. Eager to find out more about Terrain, I clicked a link through to Terrain at Styers. This is a garden centre (in the USA) that has stirred a green thumb in my I didn't know I was in possession of!

Helped by these amazing images, I suddenly have a desire to transform my courtyard with aged timber planter boxes overflowing with colour.

I totally could see a fabulous aged urn overflowing with herbs of some sort like these above! I even have a bare patch of dirt near my front door that I could see a lovely big planter filling. I have lavender and rosemary bushes already there, but the other plants didn't make it through the drought conditions of the past years and so I'm left with a bare patch right at the entrance to our house. Thanks to terrain, I'm now inspired to fill it!
I can't really explain my sudden eagerness for gardening, and also don't think it will last that long due to it being Autumn here and probably not the best time to start out. Hopefully come spring, I can look back at these images from Terrain and get excited at the right time of year to get outside and start planting!

a new daily visit - Daily Imprint

2010-04-15T16:55:00.001+10:00

Have you found the daily imprint blog yet?

This great blog is penned by Natalie Walton who is the deputy editor of Real Living magazine as well as blogger extraordinaire. She uses her amazing contacts to create a destination for all who love interior design and decorating. Today she features an interview with the talented people behind Koskela. I could spend all day trawling through the pages here. If you haven't visited before, head over to the Daily Imprint and be inspired!

an ode to chairs

2010-04-14T14:03:00.000+10:00

I think that most people have a desire for a fabulous feature chair in their home. For many it might be a designer chair like the Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair or Eero Saarinen's Womb chair as statement piece in a lounge or bedroom. Alternatively you may have your eye on a Phillippe Stark Ghost Chair for a dining room.
I have a chair project at home which is always in the back of my mind. I inherited a beautiful Fler SC58 chair which was my grandfather's. Designed by Australian Fred Lowen with a strong Scandinavian influence, mine needs some TLC in the form of a serious restoration of the frame and reupholstering. It is currently in our lounge room, but is really only fit for displaying cushions on as its frame is too delicate for sitting in. I'm hopeful that one day I can share the next stage of this chairs life. For today I will just share some fabulous chairs I have come across lately...

These are the Mademoiselle Flower Chairs designed by Phillippe Stark for Kartell. Image via made in design
I love the vibrant fabric choices available. With the clear legs these chairs almost look like they're floating. Certainly a feature chair, I can see this as a real stand out piece in an eclectic home.

Next up are these fabulous Objeckto armchairs by Missoni. Image via made in design
In this design you don't need to choose which pattern you prefer as the fabric is reversible so you can swap from stripes to the floral when you want to refresh. Again the chair design has a floaty feel to it. It looks like you would be suspended when sitting it. I picture a Mediterranean view in front of me with a cocktail in my hand. Are you with me?
For slightly less cash I have found a few other ways to celebrate cool chairs.

This Classic Chairs Print is from the My Sweet Prints etsy shop. You can order this print in custom colours and enjoy these classic chairs in silhouette form. Visit the shop here

Finally, for a truly great way to celebrate iconic chairs - my lovely friend Christina from Billy Mac has fabulous I Heart Louis girls t-shirts available and even better, due to demand from the older 'girls' out there, she has created a ladies version in ultra chic black and pink.

You can find Billy Mac through her website, blog, etsy and also madeit. For anyone with little ones out there you will surely find them a cool tee there!

cuteness pegged

2010-04-13T16:33:00.000+10:00

In my little time out today I popped over to etsy and found something to make me smile and thought I would share this with you....

These little sweeties are peg dolls from the etsy shop - Moo Shoo Pork
Top left: Pirates arrrrrrrr - Set of 3 dolls (only 2 shown)
Top right: Chick and little - momma and daughter chickens wood peg dolls
Bottom left: Three little ninjas - Set of 3 kick-butt peg dolls
Bottom right: sweet heart tarts - set of 3 girl peg dolls
These are all hand painted and varnished wooden dolls. I think these make really cool gifts for kids - I particularly like the ninja and pirate ones for little boys.
In the same shop you can also find these cool puzzle blocks

It's always nice to find good quality, hand crafted timber kids toys. Especially ones which encourange imagination and creativity.

10 years of Inside Out

2010-04-12T17:47:00.001+10:00

Iconic Australian interiors magazine Inside Out is celebrating their 10th year with an amazing Art Market. The magazine asked a bunch of their talented contributors to create an artwork representing 'Heart and Home'. They have then given everyone the opportunity to bid for one of these pieces with all proceeds going to charity.
Here are my favourites:

Ceramics by Kylie Johnson

I love this lady's ceramics, especially the tags with lovely saying and phrases like... "If you have two loaves of bread sell one and buy a hyacinth" . See her website here. This 3 piece work features a poem by Kylie.

"We holiday in the spaces of our home........ in soup
&; conversations

in washing up bubbles

& zucchini

in doorsteps
rotting &;
beds unmade...............

&; cups of tea with flowers dripping........."

I could find a home for this certainly but would have to hurry as the auction is on now for this piece - ending April 16th.

Mixed media by stylist Shannon Fricke

A styling star, Shannon has created her piece using ceramic samples from her own line of ceramics called Free Range. I haven't seen any of these - but knowing Shannon's style I'm sure this rage will be lovely. and I'll be keeping my eye for it.

A more colourful pick is this next piece by Lizzie Buckmaster Dove.

This is an incredibly creative use of paint swatch cards. Each piece is swatch cards combined to form an image - one as the base, the other as the shape. I'm blown away by this is a great use of colour swatches. I've always loved the paint swatch walls in hardware stores, but never would have been this creative with them!

My last, and possibly favourite pieces are these fashion illustrations by designer Akira Isogawa. It seems I'm not alone in my desire, as the first piece is already up to $596 on ebay and out of my league. Neverless it's fun to dream and appreciate these beautiful pieces.
See all the available artworks here and also check out the 10th Anniversary Issue of Inside Out.

when pretties collide

2010-04-10T11:26:00.004+10:00

ode to some teacups, originally uploaded by cannelle-vanille.

I just had to share this as two of my favourite 'pretties' have come together - Samantha Robinson porcelain (first gushed over here) in a lovely foodie pic by Aran Goyoaga of cannelle-vanille (loved here).
What a lovely start to the weekend :-)

a textured thread - etsy finds

2010-04-09T21:01:00.000+10:00

It's funny how sometimes you can be making decisions and choices and not even noticing a common thread running through. I hadn't noticed a theme running though all the recent additions to my etsy favourites. That theme is texture. From chunky knits to soft cotton ruffles, here are my current etsy crushes.

First up there is this great chunky knit bag from Pavalu. Hand created from 100% leather and 100% un-dyed organic wool, and then lined with 100% cotton, this would be a pleaseure to sling over my shoulder. I particularly like the idea of this as a winter bag, it would make you feel cosy all over. This etsy shop is full of more great knits - hats, wraps and clothing.

Next up is the grey marle cotton Ruffle-me-Up Pillow by missmosh. I love the ruffles on this pillow and I think it would be still soft enough to snuggle up to on the couch. I agree with the shop owner too - grey makes everything more modern. Again this is another shop full of little treasures, including this...

The Moonflower Pillow has that lovely, intricate centre detail made from bamboo fabric in off-white as well as repurposed grey t-shirt fabric. This cushion would look lovely on a bed made with crisp white linen.

Finally my last textured find is this hand printed pale blue pheasant cushion from Helkatdesign, This is another pillow I would put on my bed. I love this little bird and the frayed botton edge. Textile designer Helen also creates great pieces that pay homage to her homeland, Britains, symbols and icons. The Union jack is a common motif throughout the range.
I hope you enjoyed my textured finds. I think I'm drawn to these lovely textures as the weather gets cooler. I like the idea of changing up things to represent the season, but I already have cushion covers in storage, so probably won't expand my collection this winter!

time to step back

2010-04-08T19:06:00.001+10:00

316/365, originally uploaded by Grace Kathleen.

You know those days where you just want some space to breathe and step back from all the little day-to-day details and look at the big picture? I'm finding myself in that space a lot lately, so loved that I took a few minutes out and found this amazing photo on Flickr.
The scale of the nature in this scene is truly mind-blowing and can be used to really put things into perspective... in a number of situations.
Right now I'm using it to shut down my computer and leave work for the day... and go home to a nice glass of red wine! Happy days.

a comfort place - Honey & Jam

2010-04-07T14:41:00.001+10:00

Over the weekend I made a new find - a little place of pure comfort. Best of all it's not just one place, but over many of my online haunts - Flickr, Etsy and Blog-land. What I found was the the delight that is honey & jam.

The lovely Hannah shares both her beautiful images and scrumptious recipes with the world. I really like her style, like the above image, it's warm and comforting. The textures in this image make me all gooey inside - the rough, hand crafted mug (I want one!) and the sticky honey on aged timber = divine. It's like comfort food for my eyes!

... and you need not be left hungry. The honey & jam blog is a great source of comfort food recipes. These eggs above, went into her mum's birthday cake - a tres leche cake.
Hannah shares her life, images and her recipes! To get your own comfort fix find honey & jam on Flickr, Etsy (where she sell these lovely images) and her blog.

retail therapy - Graham & Green

2010-04-06T16:18:00.000+10:00

I have another dose of overseas shopping envy - this time courtesy of Graham and Green in the UK. I have found a few fabulous and quirky homewares which are things I haven't seen everywhere else. This in itself is a pretty big accomplishment as everything can start to feel the same everywhere you look (particularly online!).

First up is this extraordinary Red Lips Telephone. Certainly would make a statement in any home and wouldn't it make you smile every time you answered the phone!

Messieurs Jeeves and Wooster have kindly donated their hats to make these truly original pendant lights. Not like anything I have seen around, these are a nice masculine alternative to the ubiquitous chandelier. I myself am not afraid of some sparkly, crystal lighting, but think that sometimes they are too fussy to have in a family home (or one where a man wants to feel comfortable!)

Along the same theme as above, this time as an aluminium Top Hat Ice Bucket. Certainly looks great with a bottle of bubbly nestled inside, I think this also would be a great gift for the "person who has everything" that we all have to buy something for at one stage!

Not intentionally, this last find also follows nicely the one above. This Crown Bottle Stopper is another great gift find.
Now the only trouble I have with all this, is that I can never purchase any of these as they only ship within the UK. In some ways that's a problem, on the other hand it's a good thing. Nothing quite like some retail therapy, minus the expense.

Samantha Robinson Studio on Decor8

2010-04-01T12:49:00.001+11:00

On the top of my decor wish-list is a ceramic piece from Samantha Robinson. I have shared some of her beautiful work here and here. Today over at Decor8, Holly is sharing an photographic tour of Samantha's studio. Pop over there and enjoy it for yourself! Also check out the photographers post - Australian Photographer Jillian Leiboff. Also check out the drool worthy Pumpkin Spice Cake she recently experimented with!

{image from Jillian Lieboff}

Colour School

2010-04-01T11:16:00.000+11:00

This morning I received a newsletter from Australian Design Review announcing the winners of the 2010 Dulux Colour Awards. One of them caught my eye and I wanted to share it with you.

This wonderful use of colour is part of the award winning design of Fitzroy High School in Victoria, Australia.

I'm certain many of you don't remember going to a school that looked this good! The most creative part of my school was the student murals. It sounds like a very interesting project where colour has been used in both an aesthetic and functional way and I hope the students appreciate their wonderful environment. I think your work or study environment is so important... though if you saw my space at work you would not think I felt this way. I have had good intentions to make my area at least reflect a tiny bit of personality. Currently it is a pit of spreadsheets and other boring documents that would never hint at the fact that I am in a creative role. Seeing this totally funky high school has inspired me to do something about this... but after the Easter long weekend.

It seems there is not update yet on the Dulux Awards site with details of the 2010 winners and more images, but we should be able to check back soon for more information.
Another image winner featured in the Australian Design Review article is the winner of the Residential Interiors category.

This is Prahan House by SJB Interiors and you can see why it won a colour award - that jolt of green on the floor is pretty incredible! Check out the SJB website, it's full of amazing projects they have done. I couldn't find any more images from the Prahan House, but I will keep my eyes out!

{all images from Australian Design Review}

sweet tooth

2010-03-31T16:30:00.001+11:00

monogram cupcake topper, originally uploaded by Little Starling Photography by Lauri.

Don't you wish this had your name on it?

rainy day delights - Gina and May Umbrellas

2010-03-30T20:12:00.000+11:00

With the sky beginning to drip and Summer fades further into the past, I found myself pulling out my old, faithul umbrella this morning. Old being the operative word. I don't know when my lovely, plain silver brolly became such a shameful, grubby object, but the fact is it's past it's prime and I thought I would look out for something new. With today being the first real grey day of the year, I was in the mood for something bright and Gina and May seems to have come along at just the right time!

This new Australian brand was born, when founder Gina was unable to find an umbrella that was both good quality (we've all had one of those inside out flipping wonders I'm sure) and also vibrant and funky, standing out from the crowd of sombre hued brollies that so many of us end up with. A Gunnedah, New South Wales native, Gina tells the story of the official brand launch held in her country home town last December, after which the dusty town was blessed with some much needed rain!

The umbrella models from the top are: Carnivale, Night Lights, Popsicles & Starlet. Check them all out in the online store.
I've picked out the black and white striped Starlet for myself as it's one of the compact models which folds down to a tidy 19cm. The long handle models feature a lovely wooden handle with the Gina and May logo burnt in.

walk with rainbow

2010-03-30T18:02:00.001+11:00

walk with rainbow, originally uploaded by m o d e.

proof the rain doesn't need to be all bad - find a colourful umbrella and get outside!

sweet things come in mini packaging

2010-03-29T16:16:00.001+11:00

I love when I come across something new and different, particularly in the world of home decor. These little miniature porcelain pieces from the AshleyG etsy shop fit this description.

These little sweeties make a nice change from wall stickers, framed prints and canvas art. I think they look lovely as a cluster like this, but would equally look nice one their own.

They look so lovely and smooth, I just want to run my finger across one and feel the difference between the printed and blank areas. I'm a very tactile person and this type of matte, smooth porcelain is a favourite.

I love Ashley's illustration style, especially the little ladies like this Miniature Bunny Bean above.
The etsy store also has prints for sale.

{Gaggle of Girls}

{Growing Growing}

Another cool little thing I have come across is that Ashley and her creative partner Drew, offer a custom portrait service, in their own unique style, like below.

There are plenty of places to find more of Ashley and Drew's work - etsy, flickr, website & blog

Enjoy!

china blue - old and new ceramics

2010-03-26T12:24:00.001+11:00

I think everyone has had an encounter with classic blue ceramic china. I remember plates and bowls we had when I was little that had lovely watery blue fish swimming across them in the traditional Chinese style. Cobalt blue and white ceramics have been dated back to as early as the ninth century in both China and the Middle East. The classic Chinese blue and white porcelain was really perfected in the Qing dynasty in the 17th Century.
Recently I was thrilled to find, online, some wonderful images I have at home that I have kept in my 'best of' interior magazine folders. Styled by Christine Rudolph, this magazine spread is truly beautiful. It is large format (I can't remember which title it was) and the blues are so rich and luxurious. I am pleased that I can share a few of the pics with you.

{see Christine's portfolio here - scroll to image 30 and 31}

As a style, blue and white ceramics have certainly lasted a long time. So much so that it is a style that almost is common and a bit daggy. It's great to see it re-invented almost with a modern take, like in the images above. Another creative use of these classic ceramics can be found in the work of German artist Gesine Hackenberg.

Gesine has explained her work so eloquently, she is "... fascinated by the aspect of personal preciousness revealed in all kinds of belongings". Isn't that a great phrase "personal preciousness". As mentioned, I have fond memories of our "fish bowls" and if any of them had survived me and my 3 siblings, I would have appreciated being able to continue my relationship with these pieces in a new way as something wearable. I also like that the original ceramic pieces are not destroyed in the process of extracting the jewellery pieces. The old plates get a new lease on life as a piece of art.

{See Gesine's work on her website, and please read her lovely description of her concept.}

My last find today is some modern re-interpretations of blue and white china. There are plenty out there, but my favourite is this range from UK retailer John Lewis.

I like that although these pieces feature a modern pattern, the blue colouring is not perfectly even, replicating the traditional hand painted, watery effect of the original Chinese style. I would happily have this blue and white china in my home.

classic dance

2010-03-24T15:19:00.003+11:00

Those who know me already know that dance is a part of who I am. In fact it is such a part of my life that I often don't even mention it. It's so naturally a part of me I assume everyone knows already.

I am completely thrilled to come across these amazing images from the New York Public Library archives.

I stumbled across this wonderful collection on Flickr. The photos are from the Denishawn Dance Company who performed in the first few decades of last century.

I love the movement caught in these images and the wonderful costumes. They are so intricate and ornate. You can only imagine the work that went into these in the era where every single jewel would have been hand sewn into place.

Check out the complete collection on Flickr here and for a full on experience go for a wander through the online photo archives of the New York Public Library. Warning - you might lose a few hours of time as you travel back in time!

deco dreaming - reading nook

2010-03-23T15:25:00.000+11:00

Following on from yesterdays indoor camping post, I have gone "shopping" for fabulous accessories to fit out my tent. I like this type of shopping where you spend no money, but get all the thrill of finding perfect objects. I've hit up some of my favourite homeware and furniture sellers. I even tried to source most things from local, aussie stores just to give it a sense of something I could actually go out and get!

top left: Scales mobile by Polli - I think this would look lovely hanging inside from the top. It would move around gently. I also like the two little birds sitting on the top bar!

top right: Samantha Robinson Illuminators - I couldn't resist adding some of Samantha's beautiful porcelain illuminators. These look fabulous both in daylight where you can appreciated the lovely patterns and then they transform into wonderful glowing vessels when lit form inside by candlelight.

middle right: Of course no reading nook can do without a way of consuming caffeine. These great mugs are from Maxwell Williams - Candy Lime Mug and Polkadot Cup & Saucer. I think they add a bit of colour and fun. they also would coordinate with the Kas linen I picked out yesterday

bottom left: I've headed to the USA now to Brocade Home which I just wish would open down here. I love all their furniture, and this turned wood pedestal table in high gloss white is a perfect modern yet classic piece.

bottom right: and lastly I turned to my other fave US retailer - CB2. This knitted pouf would be nice sitting outside the tent, maybe tucked under the side table.

I hope you enjoyed this little virtual shopping trip with me. Please check out all the stores above and have fun finding little treasures to put on your own 'wish' lists.